Beaujolais Nouveau Wine
Who doesn't love a juicy, smashable, natural red? It all started in Beaujolais, but Nouveau wines have now branched out to all corners of the winemaking world and beyond. Grab a bottle from Foillard, Bouju, Noita, Brand and plenty more!
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Beaujolais Nouveau Day - more than just in France
The concept of Nouveau wines began in the 1800s as a humble vin de primeur (early wine) drunk by vineyard workers to celebrate the end of harvest. Bit by bit, these young wines (which were freshly harvested two months earlier) started to appear at local cafés and bistros in small towns and villages in the Beaujolais region. With the coming of the railway the wines reached destinations further and further away in France and it soon became a race to see who could deliver the year’s first vintages to Paris. In the 1970s, winemaker Georges Duboeuf made the conscious decision to market and publicize the wines and the festivities through the media, popularising the slogan “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” (the Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived!). While many scoffed and brushed this off as a clever marketing campaign, one thing’s for certain - it stuck! Beaujolais Nouveau day is still celebrated with parties and festivals on the third Thursday in November in France and around the world, with the wines released for sale at exactly 12:01 am.
What is Beaujolais Nouveau wine?
Beaujolais Nouveau is made from Gamay, known as a fruity and high-yielding grape. What’s special about Beaujolais Nouveau is that it is made using carbonic maceration, a process by which whole grapes are fermented in a sealed vessel pumped full of carbon dioxide. The lack of oxygen in the tanks creates an environment which causes the grapes to start fermenting within themselves - crazy, right?!? This causes the grape skins to burst, creating some unique flavours compounds, a splash of rich colour and very low tannins. The result of this process is a fruity wine that is ready to drink, but lacks the structure for long-term ageing. Its fruity, juicy nature make Beaujolais Nouveau suitable for a range of dishes and palates. For more expressive Beaujolais, there are also Beaujolais Villages wines and the most complex coming from the esteemed terroirs of the ten Beaujolais Cru which offer more structure and complexity. In the natural wine world, most Beaujolais producers follow suit with an increased focus on quality, and respected producers like our 2022 nouveau selection below of Jean Foillard, David Large, and Jean-Claude Lapalu are making damn juicy Beaujolais Nouveau wines that aren’t to be missed!
Image Credits: Inter Beaujolais
Image Credits: Inter Beaujolais